The Fat Spy (1966)

Off the coast of Florida, a nearly-deserted island is rumored to have the fountain of youth. A boatload of teenage kids are headed there for a scavenger hunt. Wellington, the island's ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Cates

Writer:

Matthew Andrews

Stars:

Phyllis Diller, Jack E. Leonard, Brian Donlevy

Cast

Credited cast:
Phyllis Diller	...	Camille Salamander
Jack E. Leonard	...	Irving / Herman Gonjular (Twins)
Brian Donlevy	...	George Wellington
Johnny Tillotson	...	Dodo Bronk
Jayne Mansfield	...	Junior Wellington
Lauree Berger	...	Nanette
Jordan Christopher	...	Frankie
The Wild Ones	...	Themselves (Band)
Lou Nelson	...	Punjab, The Sikh
Toni Lee Shelly	...	Naiomi the Mermaid
Penny Roman	...	Herself
Adam Keefe	...	Special Voice (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chuck Alden	...	Treasure Hunter
Jill Bleidner	...	Treasure Hunter
Tommy Graves	...	Treasure Hunter

Storyline

Off the coast of Florida, a nearly-deserted island is rumored to have the fountain of youth. A boatload of teenage kids are headed there for a scavenger hunt. Wellington, the island's wealthy owner, is none too happy about that, so he dispatches his daughter, Junior, to get rid of them. She's happy to go because her sweetie, Irving, is the island's only resident. Junior sends Irving to spy on the kids to find out what they know. Irving's twin brother, Herman, and Herman's high-school sweetheart, Camille Salamander, are also headed for the island with their own nefarious plans. Is the fountain of youth real, and if so, who will get to it first?

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Plot Keywords:

fountain of youth | florida | motorboat | mermaid | bicycle | 

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Taglines:

It's a killer... a Diller... a blast of laffs!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1966 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Cape Coral, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Phillip Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in June and July 1965, Jayne Mansfield was then five-six months pregnant with the last of her five children, son Antonio Raphael Ottaviano (AKA: Tony Cimber).

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Quotes

Herman: Ah, but your eyes, they're so beautiful. Where did you get those eyes?
Camille: They came with the head.

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Connections

Featured in The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004)

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Soundtracks

"I'd Like to be a Rose in Your Garden (But I'm Just a Thorn in Your Side)"
Sung by Jayne Mansfield

User Reviews

Girth, but no Mirth

What was everyone thinking when they signed on for this one?

The Fat Spy has just about everything wrong with it, actors not motivated to act, jokes that just fall flat, a plot that makes no sense, and Jack E. Leonard.

I remember Jack E. Leonard from many viewings of the Ed Sullivan show in the Fifties and Sixties. He was the Don Rickles of his day. A roly-poly comedian who made his bones in burlesque, Leonard specialized in insult comedy.

For some reason someone thought he'd be good to star in a feature film. So The Fat Spy was created and we got two Jack E. Leonards. They're playing brothers, one of whom is involved with Jayne Mansfield and the other with Phyllis Diller. Talk about differing tastes, that is the funniest thing about The Fat Spy.

No one ever asked Leonard to star in another film. Jayne Mansfield would make two more and then be tragically taken from us. Phyllis Diller was better served by her appearances with Bob Hope. Brian Donlevy is Jayne's father in this film and he calls her Junior. Donlevy has a look of pain throughout the film, wondering if his paycheck was going to clear the bank.

Anyway a group of treasure hunting teenagers on Brian Donlevy's private island look like they might discover the fabled Fountain of Youth rumored to be there. As Shaw says, "youth is wasted on the young" so the older generation wants to chase the kids off and get the secret of eternal youth for themselves.

Johnny Tillotson who is a fine singer and songwriter made his one and only appearance in film as a character. Acting was not among his talents, but he got to run off with a mermaid.

Pass this one by unless you want to hear Johnny Tillotson sing.